An alert bus driver credits the training he received for helping rescue a child who had just been kidnapped from the Milpitas library last week.
The training provided by Santa Clara County helps people recognize the red flags when a person has been kidnapped or held against their will.
Tim Watson was one of 750 county bus drivers who took the training in April. County officials prepared to honor Watson Wednesday night.
Julie Ramirez of the Santa Clara county Office of Women's Policy helped produce the training video Watson credits for helping him recognize a kidnapped child and his alleged kidnapper. Both the child and suspect were on the bus Watson was driving last week.
"Seeing the image of law enforcement taking away the perpetrator in handcuffs and understanding what that family must have been going through, I just really had an emotional reaction to that," Ramirez said.
Ruth Silver Taube of the Coalition to End Human Trafficking taught Watson and most of the county's bus drivers. She said she was elated to hear of Watson's actions in helping rescue the child.
"I was so impressed and just thrilled at his resourcefulness, his bravery," Taube said.
Local
The county is now providing the same training to other agencies so they can detect those red flags as well, especially in light of the upcoming Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
"The FBI statistics do show there is more trafficking during the Super Bowl and large events," Taube said.
County cab drivers are scheduled to get their training on Friday.
Supervisor Dave Cortese will honor Watson in two weeks with a commendation for his heroism.
Organizations that have high contact with the community such as hospitals, clinics, social service agencies, police departments, fire departments may want training for their employees. They can contact the County of Santa Clara Office of Women’s Policy at 408-299-5135 to request training for their employees.
If you see something that is suspicious, call the National Hotline Number at 888-3737-888, or you can report it directly to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s tip line at 408-918-4960.
